


When Dawn Comes, We Cry Blood

by proudscumbag



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Demon!Shane, M/M, Oblivious Ryan Bergara, Pining, Secrets, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-13
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2020-06-27 19:02:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19797088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/proudscumbag/pseuds/proudscumbag
Summary: Since the beginning of Buzzfeed Unsolved, Shane Madej has always been the protector of Ryan Bergara. Being the demon he is, Shane's always been able to the fight off any other demon, ghost, or ghoul he's come into contact with to protect his smaller counterpart, and Ryan knows nothing about it. It's cute and fun watching Ryan be scared all the time, so why stop? Maybe because Satan himself is pissed at the way you've been treating his other demons on earth and is threatening to kill Ryan and rid you of your job if you don't quit immediately.





	1. Carnival

**Author's Note:**

> hey all !! this is going to be a chaptered fic, but i'm not sure how long it's going to be yet. it's my first unsolved fic so bare with me, but i hope you enjoy !!

Ryan was nearly bouncing in his seat with nervousness as Shane drove the van further and further toward their destination. They were currently surrounded by dark wooded areas that made Ryan’s fearful anxiety heighten, and made a tinge of amusement spread through Shane’s limber body. 

They were headed towards some abandoned carnival place, though Shane wasn’t really interested in the actual location. All he ever really thought of while on his way to their next stomping ground was what kind of spirit/demon he was gonna be fighting today. From what he had heard from Ryan’s fantastical storytelling, he wasn’t gonna be up for much of a fight today, which was great cause that meant he could enjoy Ryan’s scared little expressions even more than usual.

“What if one of the old rides just starts moving again on it’s own?” Ryan’s voice was low, and Shane could tell he was actually quite nervous about this place. “I think I’d actually shit my pants.” Shane laughed endearingly, making a left turn and pulling into a large empty parking lot.

“I don’t think you’ve got much to worry about, Ry. Place seems fun!” Shane gestured though the car window, which was now facing a very large and very blatantly abandoned carnival. 

“Yeah I know but…” Ryan paused, breathing slowly. “I’ve never really told you this before but I’m like…”Ryan shut his eyes tight and stopped breathing.

“C’mon, spit it out-”

“I’m scared of clowns!” Ryan spluttered out loudly, his face now tinted slightly pink. Shane began catching onto what Ryan was saying. 

“Oh don’t tell me you think the ghost is a-”

“Look, Shane, I’ve read up about this place and I’ve heard MULTIPLE accounts of clown sightings in this area! Plus, people were saying they could hear clown noise type shit everywhere in this place and I just don’t think-”

“Ryan, calm down, man. It’s gonna be fine, you really don’t have to worry this much,” Shane chuckled, placing a firm hand on Ryan’s shoulder. Yes, it’s true that Shane finds enjoyment out of seeing Ryan scared shitless, it’s the only reason he’s continued doing this series. But seeing him be genuinely worried before they’ve even gotten there always did break his heart just a little, because HE knows they’ll be okay, but it’s not like poor ole’ Ryan does. “It’s really gonna be okay. I promise, alright?”

Ryan took a deep, shaky breath, in and out. “Yeah. Yeah alright. Just promise me you won’t try conjuring up any clowns?” Ryan really looked desperate and scared this time, and Shane decided it was best to just be kind for once.

“‘Course. Only if that means I get to try conjuring a carnie.”

“Sure, whatever you fuckin’ weirdo,” Ryan giggled behind his breath, finally stepping out of the car. Shane followed suit, chuckling along with his smaller companion. 

+

So, yeah, Ryan was right. There was a ghost clown. It was actually pretty creepy looking, he’d give Ryan that credit, but at least he was easy as shit to take down. As soon as Shane made one of the old carnival lights flicker and got Ryan’s attention on that, he swiftly but surely killed off the thing with one squirt of Nerf gun holy water. So, yeah. Easy. As. Shit.

“Wait wait, what the fuck, how the hell is that thing even on-”

“Ryan, do you realize how old that is? It probably does this all the time, it’s just no one’s ever around to see it!”

“But is it even connected to any power? It doesn’t make sense how that could even work!”

“I’m sure it’s just a short circuit freaking out, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“You didn’t even see it happen! It was crazy, it was like-” Suddenly, Ryan’s entire body was frozen. He wasn’t moving an inch and his face was stuck in a fearful expression that made Shane’s spine shiver. 

“Ryan? Ryan?! Ry, what’s going on, man, are you alright?!” Shane panicked, rushing over to his friend, only to realize something: the world around him was frozen in time.  
Shane frantically looked around for an answer, praying it was just one of his old friends from hell playing a trick on him. 

“Madej,” a booming voice behind him spoke, making Shane jump nearly out of his mortal clothing. Shane jerked his body around to find a tall, scaly demon towering above Ryan.

“Get the fuck away from him! Who the hell do you think you are?!” Shane roared at the demon, fearful that if he got any closer the thing would kill his best friend.

“The big man knows, Madej,” The demon spoke. “He knows you’ve been hiding out here, playing ghost-hunting games with your little boyfriend.”

“He isn’t my boyfriend you motherfucker. And so what? Why the hell would he care what I spend my time doing on Earth!? Doesn’t he have shit he needs to do instead of wasting his time caring about what I do here?!”

“You just don’t get it, do you, Madej? You’re protecting this mortal. Each time one of His minion’s is near killing it, you step in and banish them back to hell. He isn’t happy, Madej.  
You should be fearful of what’s to come of you and your tiny mortal friend.”

For the first time in a very long time, Shane Madej was scared. And no, he wasn’t scared for himself. But he was terrified of whatever they were planning on doing to Ryan. 

“Hey, no what the fuck does that mean-”

“It means, you imbecile, that if you don’t put an end to your ghosthunting, your tiny boyfriend here will occupy a nice little room down in the underworld, and you’ll be rid of your job,” The demon suddenly opened up a portal to his right and began stepping closer to it. “Don’t be stupid, Madej. You know what you have to do.” And just like that, the demon was gone, and time was brought back how it had been just before he arrived.

“-just a super quick flash of light and then BOOM! It was gone! It was fuckin’ scary man, I don’t know how I feel about this place,” Ryan finally finished, completely unaware of anything that had just transpired in between time. Ryan looked up at Shane’s face and noticed how pale and blank he looked. “Hey man, are you alright?”

Shane was knocked out of his trance-like state, looking down and Ryan’s worried expression. He forces a smile onto his face and shoved his hands down his pockets. “Yeah...why wouldn’t I be?”


	2. Lunch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shane wanted to go to lunch with Ryan. When that got cancelled, someone unexpected shows up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy SHIT it's been forever and i am SO SORRY for not adding a chapter sooner! i'll be honest, i forgot about this story, but when i revisited my account like a week ago i saw the comments on the last chapter excited for a new one! so i just decided, fuck it, i'm in quarantine, i'm just gonna do this lmao. hope you enjoy!!

4 days had passed since Ryan had been scared shitless at the carnival. 4 days had passed since Shane had been scared shitless at the carnival.

The fans could tell something was wrong with Shane. Everyone and their mother knows that Shane Madej isn’t scared easily, but they were just supposed to believe some flickering light made his entire body turn paler than the color white? They weren’t buying it. And neither was Ryan.

“Man, are you sure you’re alright? I mean, I was scared at the carnival but I didn’t think it was that bad,” Ryan inquisited, his eyes displaying a worry for his friend that Shane could feel in his chest. 

“I don’t know why everyone’s so worried, Ry. I just got a little jumpscared is all, happens to the best of us,” Shane tried desperately to keep his cool, but his mind was somewhere entirely different. He could still see that stupid fucking demon clear as day like there was a spotline on it. “I promise you don’t have to worry, okay? Let’s just go grab some lunch.”

“Shit, I really wish I could but I’m supposed to be having lunch with my parents today. I haven’t seen them in a while and I know they really miss me,” Ryan had that little look of guilt on his face that Shane always found so endearing, so polite.Ryan knew he would understand, but he still felt bad nonetheless. That’s what Shane loved about him. Well, not loved, just liked. The way you like something about someone in a friend way. Friends are definitely allowed to enjoy the tiny things about their friends. It’s not weird to-

“Damn, Bergara, you’re really gonna bail on me for some old hags that just so happened to raise you? And I took you for a friend,” Shane put his lingering thoughts of Ryan’s perfections to the side, just letting Ryan be Ryan.

“Oh shut up asshole, you know you love my parents,” Ryan rolled his eyes, the little smile on his face not going unnoticed by his taller counterpart. They began walking out the door of their shared workspace and into the chilly fall air, the hairs standing up on the back of Shane’s neck as the wind just barely tickled the exposed parts of his body.

“I do, they really are some lovely folk,” Shane’s brows furrowed as his eyes barely met the sun ahead of them. He put his hand up in front of his eyes, the burning sensation hitting his pupils being too much for him to handle.

“You need some sunglasses? I’ve got an extra pair in my bag,” Ryan asked, already reaching to take his backpack off and retrieve the little gift.

“Ooh yes please,” Shane wiggled his fingers in front of Ryan excitedly, Ryan not taking notice as his eyes were in his bag, searching every corner for that extra pair.

“Hold on, I swear I put them in here this morning. Just gimme a sec,” Ryan struggled, not taking his eyes off the bag in front of him. He grunted, before basically putting his whole face in his bag. Shane began to giggle at this, before he saw that Ryan was falling. His instincts kicked in, reaching out and grabbing Ryan’s smaller frame. 

“Holy shit are you okay?!” Shane exclaimed, before realizing that Ryan wasn’t moving. He was frozen; again. “Shit! Shit shit, wait no-”

Before he could stop it, a cloud of smoke appeared in front of the two, the same demon as before appearing before them. 

“Madej!-”

“Yeah, yeah, I get your fucking agenda! What the hell do you want?!” Shane yelled at the creature, still holding onto Ryan like he could fall at any second.

“You’re still caring for him, Madej. Protecting him from anything in his path. You’re weak!”

“I’m not weak, hot stuff, I’m just a good fucking friend! Why do you need him anyways?! What could you possibly want with him!?”

“I should be asking you the same thing! What do you gain from protecting a mortal, Madej?” The demon looked annoyed at this point, his bodyguard-like persona beginning to wear off. “You were sent on earth for work, correct?”

Shane hesitated to speak. He hasn’t thought about his “job” in years, and honestly just assumed the big man forgot about him. That’s what he had hoped, anyway.

“Yeah. And so what?”

“What was your job?” The demon asked, slowly walking towards the pair. Shane held on tighter to Ryan, like the demon could take him at any moment.

“I...I was a mischief worker,” Shane said, his eyes never leaving the demon’s.

“So you’re supposed to be causing little bits of havoc, correct?”

“Well yeah. I’ve done a few things here and there. Non-fatal car accidents, power outages, couple missing credit cards. You get it,” Shane had never talked about his job before, and it just felt weird to say all these horrible things he’s done out loud. Maybe the demon was right...maybe he was getting weaker.

“But when was the last time you’ve done anything as a mischief worker, hm? When was the last time you truly caused trouble like the demon you fucking are!” the demon boomed at Shane, his eyes glowing redder as he filled with rage. “It’s a privilege to do what we do, Madej, and you take complete advantage of our system to protect your little crush! It’s pathetic! No real demon would ever pull a stunt like that!”

“Hey, I’m as real of a demon as you’ll ever see, motherfucker! And I’m not protecting anyone, I’m just having a little fun! He’s...he’s fun to mess with- I’m just fucking with him!”

“Oh really? You think we can’t track how you’re feeling from down there, imbecile?! You’ve grown feelings for the fucking mortal and I can’t even tell if you notice it!” 

Suddenly and without a second thought, Shane let go of Ryan and launched himself towards the demon, throwing fists and swears in every direction. He wasn’t able to hit anything, though, as the demon and teleported away and was now positioned beside a still frozen in place Ryan. Once Shane noticed where he was located, his eyes went wide and his stomach dropped six feet.

“Get the fuck away from him! What the hell do you think you’re doing!” Shane yelled, but was too scared to move. He didn’t know what the demon would do if he stepped any closer.

“Say it, Madej. Admit you’ve fallen for a mortal. If you can admit that out loud, I can report it back to the big man and let him take care of it. You’ll be out of your job in no time, and this little guy here won’t stand a chance any longer against what we have coming for him,” The demon smirked wryly, staring darts into Shane’s now tear filled eyes. “Say it.”

“I can’t-” Shane’s voice cut, a tear falling from his eye that stung like lava. He can’t believe any of this is happening, how any of this could be true. If only he hadn’t have shaken that hand all those years ago.

“Say it, you pussy, say it!” the demon shouted, elicting a rage inside Shane he wished he could bury. Shane clenched his fists together and held them to his forehead, wiping the tears from his eyes with the ends of his sleeves.

“What if I don’t, huh!? What’re you gonna do?!” Shane shouted, regretting the words as soon as they slipped his tongue.

“You know exaclty what I’ll do. You’re stupid, Madej, but you aren’t that stupid. Say it and we can forget this ever happened,” The demon looked at him, waiting excitedly for the inevitbale. He knows Shane could never let that happen to Ryan, and unfortunately, Shane knows that too.

"I’ve-” Shane sighed, wiping the final tears from his eyes and walking over towards the demon so he could catch Ryan when he unfroze. “I’ve fallen for a mortal. Now leave.”

The demon let out a low chuckle, looking into Shane’s eyes. “So pathetic.” He vanished into another cloud of smoke Shane knew only he could see. He ignored this, though, leaping forward and catching Ryan before he could fall face first onto the concrete.

“Shit!” Ryan yelped in a high-pitched screech, arms flailing and letting go of his now forgotten backpack. Ryan held on tight to one of Shane’s hands before being helped up, giving Shane a small tint of rose on his cheeks. “Fuck, thank you. I seriously could’ve just died, holy shit!”

Another unwanted tear begin to appear in Shane’s eye before being wuickly wiped away so Ryan couldn’t see. “Yeah...yeah you totally could’ve.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed!! i'll probably make a new chapter soon considering i have nothing better to do lmaoo. bye!! xx


	3. Resurrection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The backstory behind how Shane became a demon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoy! i'll be updating very soon <3 i'm so happy you guys are enjoying the series so far!!

After Ryan’s almost-fall and Shane’s second encounter with the fucking boogie man, he was absolutely terrified of leaving Ryan alone. Shane’s job could be gone at any moment, and with that would be the loss of all his protective powers. He can still remember the day he got his powers too. What a fucking trainwreck of a day that was.

June 11th, 2005

“If that’s really how you feel, then I understand. Just know that I had a really good time with you,” Shane replied to Tonya, his now ex, as tears welled up in her eyes. Her face was puffy and disheartening to look at, but he stared into her eyes in a way he presumed to be gentle.

“That’s...that’s it? I got myself all worked up over you and THAT’S what you say to me!?” Tonya yelled at him, that sad look in her eyes instantly turning to resentment and burning Shane’s corneas enough to make him flinch. “I just...you’re unbelievable Shane Madej. Un-fucking-believable.”

“How did I react badly?! I’m being understanding, I’m letting you be happy!” Shane shouted, his face contorted in an uncomfortable confusion.

“Do I LOOK happy to you?! I wanted at least a little yearning, a little bit of a fight for me! Instead you gave me a ‘See ya later!’ and a Get Well Soon card!” She cried, letting her tears flow instead of wiping them so Shane could see what he’s caused. “Did you even like me to begin with!? Are you letting me be happy, or are YOU the happy one here?!”

“Tonya, please, I didn’t mean it like that,” Shane shut his eyes tightly, almost like it would transport him out of this situation for good. It was gross, it was uncomfortable, it was everything Shane hated about communication wrapped and tied with a little tear-stained bow. He just wanted to be anywhere but here. “Tonya, I’m sorry.”

When Shane Madej opened his eyes, he was no longer in that dingy two-bed dorm room that smelled of beer residue and one-night stands. He was somewhere tinted deep red, a place that already had the back of his neck sticky with sweat. He frantically looked around, seeing no end in sight to where he was. He wasn’t sure if he should be walking or standing his ground.

“Hello?!” he shouted hoarsely, his voice catching in his throat from fear. “Can anyone hear me?! Where am I?! Am I dead?!

“No...but you surely can be if that’s what you wish,” a coy voice sneered from behind Shane’s back, causing him to frantically turn around wide eyed. “Oh, now don’t be afraid. I’m only here to help. That is...if you’re taking?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Shane’s voice was shaky and unintimidating, the opposite of what he was going for. The person-or, thing- he was staring at was tall, slim, and unlike anything Shane had ever seen before. “Who are you?”

“You obviously needed a little help out of that situation...up there,” The thing chuckled deeply as his index finger extended upwards. “I just decided to pull a few strings and get you outta there. Aren’t I just a helpful little thing?”

“Where am I? Am I in hell?!” Shane nearly shouted, covering his mouth in horror at the words.

“Bingo! You got yourself in a mighty fine mess here, now don’t ya?”

“Are you...are you Satan?” Shane’s entire body was trembling, his brain trying to make up scenarios in which he had fainted while arguing and all of this was a terrible nightmare. There’s no way this could be happening.

“We prefer the term ‘big man’ down here, but no, I’m not Him. But who I am is unimportant to you, as you’ve got some bigger fish to fry, eh?” the demon pointed somewhere behind Shane. When he turned to see what was being pointed at, he was greeted with a large cloud of smoke with a projection of his previous argument with his now ex on display. “That can’t be fun, can it?”

Shane saw the way she was crying, and still was left in utter confusion. He was HAPPY for her, right?! So why would she be upset about that?! Isn’t that what girls like? To be understood? “I don’t get it...why are you showing me this?”

“I just think it’s upsetting, is all. No one deserves to just expose themselves like that, not on accident at least.”

Shane’s eyes squinted at the demon before him. “What are you saying? What do you mean I exposed myself?”

“Aw, don’t play dumb, boy. You and I both know why you’re fine with her breaking up with you, and it ain’t cause you’re a feminist,” the demon cackled, Shane’s face turning bright crimson enough to make him look away. “Hey, don’t be shy, kid. No one down here minds a little gay-play-”

“I’m not gay, alright?! I’m just...I’m figuring some shit out, and I was doing fine on my own!” Shane shouted, still refusing to look in the demon’s direction out of embarrassment.

“Were you, though?” the demon pointed back at the projection behind Shane, the argument taking place only getting louder and louder. Shane watched the projection as a new scene bagan to take place, only this time his ex grabbed the lamp on Shane’s nightstand and hit Shane over the head with it.

“Wait a minute- that didn’t happen, did it?! Is that why I’m down here?!” Shane yelled, whipping around to face a now grinning demon.

“Oh, you don’t remember?” the demon chortled. “When she realized you shut your eyes to quit listening to her, she completely lost it. Turns out you didn’t really know that girl like you thought you did,” Shane looked back at the projection in disbelief. She cradled Shane’s limp body, checking for a pulse on his neck before letting out an ear piercing wail.

“But...how? Why didn’t it just knock me out?” Shane barely whispered, his face now pale as a ghost, as he might as well be one now.

“Blunt force trauma to the head. Fractured your skull enough to stop that sweet lil heart of yours from bouncin’,” the demon stepped closer to Shane, and Shane remained motionless. He had nothing to lose now. It was over. He lost.

“So...it’s all just...over? That was it?” Shane allowed his tears to flow freely, though biting back a loud sob that took up all the space in his airways.

“Well...not exactly. That is, if you don’t want it to be,” the demon grinned something awful, his tongue licking his lips in a way that made Shane was to recoil hard into his own body.  
“I don't understand,” Shane lied.

“I can make this all go away. You don’t have to stay down here forever like the rest of these fuckers. You’re different. Big man says you’re demon material,” the demon paused to extend his hand out towards Shane. “Shake my hand. You’ll work for us on earth, no death necessary. If you don’t shake, however, you’ll be stuck down here for the rest of eternity, and you and I both know you don’t want none of that.”

Shane trembled at the thought of a fiery damnation, eternity spent in suffering and flames. He knew he had no other choice.

That was the day Shane became Madej for good, as demons aren’t really ones to go on a first name basis.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!! if you enjoyed it, leave a kudos/comment so i'll know if you'll read the next chapter! xx


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